France pulls last troops from combat roles in Afghanistan

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France pulls out its last units engaged directly in combat in Afghanistan

About 1,500 French troops will remain to remove equipment and train Afghan forces

French medical personnel will also continue to serve at a military hospital in Kabul

The United States still has 68,000 troops in Afghanistan

France pulled its last troops engaged directly in combat out of Afghanistan Saturday, in line with a promise by President Francois Hollande to accelerate his country's withdrawal from the long-running conflict.

About 1,500 French troops remain in Afghanistan to remove equipment and to help train Afghan forces, Defense Ministry spokesman Thierry Burkhard said.

They are likely to stay there for about six months, he said.

The troops who left Saturday will spend a couple of days in Cyprus to decompress and rest before rejoining their families in France for the holidays, according to CNN affiliate BFM-TV.